Actress Florence Pugh has penned a deeply personal tribute to filmmaker Sebastián Lelio, remembering him as a 'sensitive, gentle and brilliant artist' who dedicated his career to telling women's stories. Pugh shared the heartfelt post on Instagram, recalling their bond forged on the set of The Wonder and expressing grief over his passing.

A Bond Built on Food, Wine and Film

Pugh described how she and Lelio first met five years ago on the Dublin set of The Wonder, where their professional relationship quickly deepened into a close friendship. 'We fell in love over food,' she wrote, recounting candid dinners where conversations about the film's script gave way to shared enthusiasm for meat, stews, cheese, and — most memorably — red wine. 'OH RED WINE we both would scream,' she recalled, capturing the warmth and spontaneity of their connection.

Lelio, she noted, would take her to 'foodie dinners in Dublin to talk about the project but we'd just be giddy over the chefs choices sent out.' The intimacy of those evenings, Pugh said, is what allowed them to truly 'share a heartbeat.'

Remembering Lelio's Commitment to Women's Stories

Beyond the personal grief, Pugh emphasised Lelio's artistic legacy — particularly his sustained focus on female narratives. 'He was a man who was so firmly on our side. He cared so deeply for women, he dedicated his work to telling the stories of women and all of the different hardships and pain,' she wrote. She described his eyes as 'bright blue beaming' ones 'that stared into your soul even if you were talking about breakfast.'

Lelio had already earned widespread recognition for his work championing women's voices on screen before The Wonder, and Pugh noted that his influence made 'a real difference' — not merely as an aesthetic choice, but as a deliberate act of advocacy through art.

A Private Farewell Over Beef and Red Wine

In a particularly poignant passage, Pugh revealed that she had unknowingly prepared a kind of personal memorial before learning of his death. 'Right before I'd found out about his passing, I'd purchased a special cut of beef and a special red wine, almost as a preparation for his mourning. I cooked it. Drank it. And thought and spoke of how unique and mesmerising he was,' she wrote.

'I smiled through tears as I looked at my plate because I knew he would have smiled at it too,' Pugh added — a moment that distils the depth of a friendship that crossed the boundaries of a professional collaboration.

His Lasting Lessons

Pugh also credited Lelio with teaching her 'the need and importance of dancing — regularly, ugly but human dancing.' She described him as patient and gentle, and said his loss serves as 'a big painful reminder that we don't have forever.'

Closing her tribute, Pugh extended condolences to Lelio's family and friends, dedicating a track from her shoot playlist — by Penguin Cafe Orchestra — to his memory. 'Sebastian, I love you dear friend. I'm cheersing to you. Always,' she wrote.

The outpouring reflects the broader impact Lelio had on actors and collaborators across his career, and his passing leaves a significant gap in world cinema's conversation around gender-conscious storytelling.